1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to the lacrosse head having the improvement of channels for the strings of the pocket within the lacrosse head. More particularly, the present invention relates to channels being molded into the lacrosse head which allows for greater durability and less abrasion to the lacrosse pocket held within the lacrosse head. The invention also includes multiple embodiments of which provide different features and advantages over lacrosse heads not having the inventive channels.
2. Background of the Art
The lacrosse game originated with the American and Canadian-Native Americans. Traditionally, a lacrosse stick has a handle portion attached to a head with the head consisting generally of a frame and a pocket. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a well constructed lacrosse head is essential in both the general play by and especially the success of participants of the sport of lacrosse.
Generally, a lacrosse head can be described as a basket that attaches to the end of the handle that is used to catch, transport, and deliver the ball as desired. The lacrosse head not only catches the ball and holds the ball during play, but is also used during defensive maneuvers and to obtain the ball during a face off. As such, the lacrosse head is subjected to both large and varying forces during the game. As such, lacrosse heads are typically formed of some type of plastic material which is rigid though can deform so as not to crack or break under the typical stresses experienced during participation in a lacrosse game.
Generally, a lacrosse head is molded from a polymeric material such as DuPont® Xytel brand nylon. The lacrosse head has an open or upper side for catching and discharging the ball and a lower side to which a net or pocket is attached for holding a ball. A lacrosse head has a throat section having a socket for receiving the handle and a ball stop. To the ball stop, there is attached a pair of side walls. The side walls are joined distal from the ball stop by a lip or scoop. Traditionally, the side walls are substantially vertical and flat. As in the game of lacrosse, the head is used to catch the ball, hold the ball, pass or shoot the ball, there are several attempts to improve lacrosse heads so as to improve performance and characteristics of the given lacrosse stick. U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,925 discloses a shoulder portion below the ball stop that it creates an angular recess or step. This shoulder retains the ball, however, some individuals believe the shoulder holds the ball too well and impedes the ball from rolling out of the head. Furthermore, the shoulder prevents the ball from rolling consistently along the side wall from the top to the bottom or from the bottom to the top of the lacrosse head.
Other lacrosse heads have been invented wherein the lacrosse head is narrower at the opening than at the pocket area such as the lacrosse head disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,549. Other players desire a lacrosse head where the open side of the lacrosse head is larger than the net side of lacrosse head such as lacrosse head disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,066,056 and 6,561,932. While these patents disclose different wall arrangements, shoulders, and other orientation of the stick, they do little to discuss the attachment of the pocket within the lacrosse head to the lacrosse head itself. As such, these different patents appear to fail to address the issues of the pocket engaged in lacrosse head and the problematic issues of the ball transferring from the frame of the lacrosse head to the pocket and also the considerable wear placed upon the lacrosse pocket during both game play and practice.
As the ball is constantly being scooped up off of artificial turf or other substances, as well as being caught and launched by the player, the contact area between the strings of the lacrosse pocket and the lacrosse frame undergo substantial stress. Unfortunately, with extended game play in practice, as well as varying environmental conditions that the lacrosse head pocket is exposed to, the strings will often break typically from excessive wear at the string scoop interface, thus requiring the pocket to be replaced. This is both a time consuming and labor intensive endeavor often keeping the lacrosse head out of play for a considerable amount of time.
Accordingly, there is a need for stringing channels integrated into a lacrosse head that both improve ball handling characteristics and also lengthen the life of the pocket stringing while still providing the performance characteristics demanded by lacrosse players.
What is desired, therefore, are stringing channels which may be integrated into a lacrosse head so as to improve the scoop and lacrosse pocket interface as well as increase the life span of the stringing of a lacrosse pocket. Indeed, a combination of characteristics including stringing channels to decrease the wear on the lacrosse pocket have been found to be necessary in improving the lifespan and playing characteristics of a pocket in a lacrosse head. Also desired are various embodiments of string channels for the various styles of pockets head within lacrosse heads.